New Beginnings
by IReallyLoveSantana
Summary: Alice attempts to get a new start over in LA, while Mark and Lexie deal with their own relationship developments back in Seattle. Sequel to The Unheard Shot.
1. Chapter 1

Alice sighed in relief as the plane rolled to a stop. She quickly grabbed her carryon bag, and was one of the first ones off the plane. Alice caught sight of the two somewhat familiar faces of Addison and Amelia; she had Skyped once with them when Lexie made her. Well, conversation wouldn't exactly describe it; she glared for a few moments via internet before storming off to the bathroom with her still hidden cigarettes. Lexie was not pleased to say the least.

Alice leaned against the wall, blending into the crowd of people that streamed out of the doors. She considered her options. She could easily make it out without being noticed, but she would have no idea where to go. This wasn't Seattle, and she would have no idea how to get her bearings. A small part of her reasoned that Lexie would be beside herself if she went missing in LA, but she tried to shove that thought away. It was only partially successful. She reluctantly picked up her bag and wandered over to where the two women were standing.

"Hey, Alice." Addison welcomed her with a smile. Alice smirked and rolled her eyes before walking off ahead. Amelia and Addison exchanged a glance but followed a few feet behind.

"Derek wasn't kidding about her attitude." Addison commented in a low voice. Amelia shrugged.

"I'm sure I was much worse when I was trying to kick my addiction." She replied.

"Fair." The redhead agreed. The two surgeons and housemates gave Alice her space as she collected her bag, and even on the ride to the beach house. Alice didn't make any attempts to start conversation, and ignored Amelia's questions. She bolted from the car as soon as it stopped.

"You do realize that we have to unlock the door, right?" Amelia called out. Alice ignored her and waited impatiently on the doorstep, pacing back and forth. Amelia came up the steps, fishing for her keys. Alice picked up her bag and strode into the house before slipping off her flats and looking around.

"Nice place." She admitted, taking in the tasteful decor of the beachside house.

"Thanks." Addison's voice came from behind the teen, who hadn't heard her come in. She leapt away in fear and spun around to glare at her. She shook her head angrily and strode through the house and out the patio doors that lead to the beach.

"Issues." Was all Amelia said.

"Shot, nearly beaten to death by her parents twice, and is a recovering addict. She's sixteen. Wouldn't you have major issues too?" Addison shot back. Amelia nodded grimly. \

"She needs a psychologist." Amelia filled the silence. Addison nodded.

"Already on it. She has a session with Sheldon tomorrow at nine."

Alice heard what Addison said. She spun around. "No. No therapists." She glared at the redhead and took off towards the ocean.

"I'm not sure if so soon is the greatest thing..." Amelia sounded doubtful. Addison shook her head.

"Lexie specifically said not to wait around with her. The longer she has to get comfortable, the more trouble she'll stir up. She's diabolical." Amelia shrugged. Addison headed back into the house to put Alice's bag in the guest room, leaving Amelia to sit on the deck alone. The brunette heard her phone's text alert chime, and she pulled it out to reply. She was caught off guard when she glanced at the time. It was already 9pm. "Alice!" She tried to get the teen's attention, who ignored her. She sighed and kicked off her sandals and stepped into the sand.

"Alice?" She called out again as she got closer. Alice turned around to face her, quickly brushing away the tears. "What?" She asked quietly.

"It's nine o'clock already, and I have to be at the practice for a consult at 8:30 tomorrow, and you're coming in tomorrow, so you should probably come in for the night. Alice sighed with annoyance but made her way into the house. Addison was sitting on the couch on the phone.

"Hold on a second." Addison said to the phone. She held it out in Alice's direction "Callie wants to talk to you." She explained. Alice shrugged and grabbed the phone.

"Hey, Cal." Her voice disappeared down the hallway as she went into the office for some privacy.

"Addie says you're giving them the cold shoulder."

"Hmm."

"Alice, seriously. They've made a lot of accommodations to do this. Don't waste this opportunity to get a fresh start before coming back to Seattle. Addie is great, and so is Amelia. They can really help you." Callie tried to convince the younger girl.

"Yeah, whatever." Was all she said, but she didn't sound quite as hostile.

"I've gotta get to surgery, so I'm gonna ring off, but can you put Addison back on for a minute? I have to talk to her about something before I go."

"Yeah, sure. Bye Callie." Alice pulled the phone away from her ear and wandered down the hallway. "She wants to talk to you again." Alice mumbled as she held the phone out in the surgeon's direction.

"Thanks. Amelia can show you where your room is." She mouthed as she took the call. The younger girl followed Amelia up the stairs and into a guest room. It was large and tastefully decorated.

"You guys sure don't do things halfway out here." She commented. Amelia cracked a smile.

"This would be Addie's doing. It's a bit ostentatious for a guest room, but whatever makes her happy." She shrugged. "I'll go so you can unpack and such, but if you need anything come find me downstairs." Alice nodded and sank down on the bed as the door shut. She pulled out her iPhone and saw there were four new messages, all from Chip. They all read something along the lines of "_dude, I'm sorry"_. She sighed heavily and hit reply.

_Fuck off Chip_. _It doesn't matter anymore, and I'm in LA anyways. Don't bother texting me again._

She hit send and threw the phone away. Between her cravings and discomfort of being in a new situation, she could tell it was going to be a long night.

"Mark! Mark, get in here!" The plastic surgeon nearly fell as he bolted up the stairs to the sound of his frantic girlfriend's voice. For a second, he half expected to find her holding an overdosed Alice, before he remembered that the teenager was thousands of miles away. Instead he found Lexie in the bathroom. Holding a pregnancy test.

"Are you?..." Sloan's voice trailed off.

"Yeah."

Silence. A complete silence lasted between the two of them for several seconds.

"Please say something. Please." Lexie finally murmured. Mark finally broke out of her stupor and met her gaze.

"I'm sorry, I'm just surprised. But I'm happy. This is…this is happy. You're happy, right?" The man stuttered, stepping forward and staring at the plus sign on the tiny white piece of plastic in his girlfriend's hand. She hesitated a bit before nodding.

"Yes. Yes, of course I'm happy. There's no one else I'd want to do this with. I always imagined this day would come, and it'd be with you, but just not this soon. But this is still amazing. We're…we're having a baby, Mark." Lexie's voice broke off into a laugh and she stared up into the taller man's eyes.

"We're having a baby."

_**Wow, I finally updated! So if y'all are still interested in this story, let me know! I plan to have a lot more Mark/Lexie in it! **_


	2. Chapter 2

"Shit, Addie she's not in her room!" A panicked Amelia shouted down the hallway.

"Check the bathroom, genius." The half-asleep red head mumbled back. Amelia knocked on the closed door. After a few seconds, Alice whipped the door open and stuck her head out, face covered in soap.

"What?"

"We're leaving in half an hour, get going." Alice quickly rinsed off her face and brushed her teeth before heading off to her room to get changed. 20 minutes later, she was changed and ready. Her long sleeve shirt hid the scars that patterned her right arm. Addison, oblivious to what covered the girl's arms, raised an eyebrow at her shirt choice. "It's a bit hot for long sleeves here." She commented. Alice rolled up her sleeve and arched an eyebrow.

"It was either long sleeves, or this." She snapped back. Addison blinked in surprise.

"Breakfast might be a good idea." Amelia broke the tension in the room.

"Not hungry." She replied quickly.

"You haven't eaten since yesterday before you got here. You need to eat." Amelia insisted, throwing a granola bar at her. She caught it deftly, but tossed it right back.

"I said I'm not hungry. Just ask Lexie, I'm not big on food. Drinks and pills are more my style." She gave a bitchy smirk, knowing that what she just said would shut the recovered addict right up. She was right.

"Sounds super healthy. Let's go." Addison spoke up. Once in the car, she reminded Alice about the appointment with Sheldon.

"I'm not going. I already told you this." Alice tried to shut the idea down.

"One session. That's all I ask. And if you don't feel comfortable, you don't even have to stay for that. Just give it a chance. Fair deal?" Addison replied.

"Fine." Alice muttered. Amelia grinned at Addison with triumph. This was the most compliance she had shown so far.

An hour later, Alice stormed out of the session, which was just halfway over. To be fair, she had given it a shot, but she found the therapist to be intimidating, and therefore she was entirely uncomfortable around him. She wandered around the practice until she found the kitchen, which she immediately located. She gave a half smile to the pretty, short haired brunette that was already sitting at the tall table as she measured out the sugar into her cup. She finished making up her coffee and sat down at the island a couple seats away from the other woman. Alice grabbed a napkin from the holder near her and started tearing it to shreds, separating the strips of color into their own piles. The gang back in Seattle had begun to wonder if she was OCD, but she preferred to think of it as being precise.

Violet frowned slightly as she watched the teen sort the colors. _She must be Alice_, she thought to herself. From what Addison told her, she was a mess. Sheldon had given her a grim look as she stormed out of the session halfway, but if she didn't recognize her as the practice's other psychologist, maybe she would be more willing to talk without the pressure of a fixed session.

"It's Alice, right?" Violet asked.

Alice looked at her skeptically. "Umm, yeah.." 

"Well I figured there aren't too many teenage girls wandering around here. Shouldn't you be with Amelia or something?" 

Alice shook her head. "Consult. I was supposed to be in therapy, but I walked. Well, kinda ran."

After a while of somewhat awkward small chat, Violet finally excused herself from the kitchen area for her next appointment. Alice sighed in relief and wandered over to a family wait room with her coffee and sat down, reading magazines to pass the time. She had gotten through four magazines before Amelia walked in.

"Hey, I've got time to take a lunch break. C'mon, there's a great cafe around the corner." Amelia smiled earnestly. Alice sighed but shut the magazine and followed her out to the elevator and through the building doors.

"So do you have more of a set schedule and normal hours here than you would at a hospital?" Alice filled the silence.

"Yeah, mostly. I also go to St. Ambrose for consults and surgeries, but as a general rule I'm out of here by 7. Tonight both Addie and I will be home." Alice nodded.

"Must be nice, to have a bit of routine. Everyone in Seattle has a pretty hectic schedule." Alice replied.

"Yeah, I bet. Here's the cafe I was talking about." Amelia pulled open the door and stepped in. Alice looked around the shop. It was fairly small, but utterly charming. Decorated in deep blues, it was a nice change from the constant beach house theme of California. Alice ordered a bagel, and joined Amelia at a table that she had picked out.

"How was the session?" Amelia asked. Alice picked at her bagel.

"Unproductive." She muttered.

"What was that?" Amelia raised her eyebrow and studied the teen.

"I, uh, left. Don't like him. Not comfortable." She managed to spit out.

"Well, guess we're gonna have to find another solution then." The older woman suggested. Alice shrugged and took a bite of her bagel.

"How much did she tell you and Addison?"

"Nothing much. Just that you went through some rough times and turned to drugs, twice. She didn't offer up what those were, that's your story to tell when you want." Alice nodded in agreement. Amelia glanced away and noticed that the bagel had been cast away, not even halfway finished.

"You have to eat, Alice. There's kinda no way around it."

Alice rolled her eyes. "Not hungry." She replied. It was Amelia's turn to do the eye rolling now.

"You didn't eat when you got in yesterday, you probably didn't eat on the plane, and don't try and tell me that coffee is breakfast because it isn't. Eat, Alice." Amelia pushed the plate her way.

"I'm never hungry when I'm craving pills." Alice snapped. Amelia shrugged.

"Tough cookies, bud. Either you eat or you get a feeding tube. Your choice." Alice huffed but took another bite of her food, managing to refrain from saying anything nasty. They finished their lunch in silence, and soon Amelia stood to get back to work. Alice followed suit. Alice didn't say anything again until they were in the building elevator.

"Hey, Amelia?" She spoke quietly.

"Yeah?"

"Don't take it personally when I'm y'know, not in the best of moods. It's been a rough... well year. Just trying to get it together, ya know?" Amelia's expression went from guarded to sympathetic. She nodded.

"You and me both."

_**Thanks for the few reviews! Let me know what you guys think of this chapter and what you'd like to see done in the next one. And don't worry, there's more of Mark/Lexie in the next chapter **_


	3. Chapter 3

As soon as Amelia and Alice stepped off of the elevator, a young brown haired boy bounced up to them.

"Hey Amelia! Who's your friend?" He asked. Amelia started to answer but she was cut off by a blonde woman who rounded the corner.

"Mase, what did we talk about? Don't be botherin' the guest now!" She smiled apologetically at Alice, who shrugged.

"My name's Alice, but the better question is who are you?" The boy grinned.

"Mason, Cooper's my dad and Charlotte is my momma." He tipped his head towards the exasperated doctor. "We had an early dismissal at school but apparently I'm not old enough to be home alone." He rolled his eyes.

"Well it looks like it's our lucky day then. Amelia's got stuff to do but I need some company- what do you say, can you hang out with me so they can get their work done?" Mason smiled.

"Sure can- c'mon. I've got all my stuff set up in the conference room." Alice smiled and followed the eager kid down the hall.

Charlotte watched the two disappear into the room before she turned to Amelia.

"She the addict?" She asked. Amelia nodded grimly.

"Jesus, how old is she?" "16- barely." Amelia replied. Charlotte winced. "She's got clean once, but relapsed and OD'd a few weeks back. They're hoping she can get a fresh start here and really get sober before going back to Seattle." Charlotte nodded in agreement.

"Change is good. How did she get into pills in the first place?" She asked. Amelia shrugged.

"I don't know, Lexie wouldn't tell me what happened."

"I can understand that. If you were in her shoes, would you want someone telling people you don't know your story?"

"Guess not." Amelia mumbled.

"Exactly. She'll tell you when she wants to. Don't push her for it." Charlotte's tone was a warning.

"I know, I know. I've got a consult in two minutes. Make sure your babysitter doesn't try and get high while on the job there." Amelia said over her shoulder as she headed for her office. Charlotte rolled her eyes and headed in her own direction.

Alice sat back in disbelief. The kid had beaten her ass at Crazy Eights, twice.

"Ready for another round?" Mason grinned.

"Nu uh. I believe that homework isn't going to do itself." Alice laughed as the kid made a face at the mention of school work. She gathered up the cards. Just as she was putting them away, she caught Mason staring at her wrists, which were patterned by scars.

"What happened to your wrist?" He asked. Alice cursed internally.

"I used to have a cat when I was younger. She _really_ didn't like being picked up, but I kept on trying. Learned my lesson the hard way." Mason seemed to believe her, so she took the opportunity to move past it. "Hey, if you're finished your spelling homework I can probably convince your dad to get you an ice cream when he comes to pick you up in fifteen minutes." Alice persuaded him. His eyes widened at the bribery and he got straight to work. Alice took the opportunity to sit back and pulled out her phone. She clicked on new message and selected Lexie's contact.

_Hey :) first day at the practice was fine, minus the session. It's so different here, so much less hustle and bustle! Hope seattle isn't suffering too much without me around ;) _

Lexie's reply was nearly instantaneous.

_Good to hear, other than the session news. Not exactly surprised though. The house isn't the same with you gone! Not nearly enough drama or lattes :)_ Alice grinned at her phone.

_I'm sure you'll survive without starbucks while I'm gone. Not everyone has a coffee chauffeur you know._

_So it seems. I've got to get back to the hospital so I've gotta go. We'll talk later?_

_Yeah sure. Say hi to everyone for me_

_I will!_

_Oh, and Lex?_

_Yeah?_

_I miss you._

_I know hun, me too. We'll talk tonight. Try not to give Amelia or Addison too hard of a time._

_I'll try. No guarantees._

Alice put her down on the table and glanced over at Mason, who was nearly finished his work. The door swung open and Charlotte stood at the door frame. "Mason, c'mon grab your stuff, your dad's here!" He leapt up and threw his belongings in his bag.

"Score, ice cream time! Thanks, Alice!" He shouted behind him as he was already out of the room.

"Sorry, I kinda bribed him with ice cream. On the bright side, his spelling is done." Charlotte smiled.

"Thanks for this. I don't think we've even been introduced. Name's Charlotte." The blonde doctor pushed off of the door frame and walked in.

"I'd introduce myself but I doubt anyone in here doesn't know who I am. The sixteen year old Seattle druggie. Oh, and if your kid asks about my wrists- I have a cat." Alice stood up and headed for the door.

"What?" Charlotte looked completely confused. Alice rolled her eyes and stepped around her, never answering the question. She was wandering through the halls, trying to think of what she could do when she ran into Amelia.

"Oh, hey! Glad I ran into you. I was actually able to get the rest of my afternoon cleared- you wanna go back to the house?" She offered.

"Yeah. Maybe I can finally get one of these famous California tans." Amelia smiled.

"I just have to grab my bag from my office- it's just down here." Alice followed her, glancing at all of the signs on the doors. One in the same hallway read "Violet Turner, Psychology."

"Clever bitch." Alice muttered.

"What?" Amelia glanced over as she locked up her office.

"I had a conversation with her in the kitchen, but she never mentioned what she actually did." Amelia grinned wickedly.

"Oh, I know. You're her ten o'clock appointment tomorrow." Alice sputtered in protest.

* * *

"Lex? Have you talked to Alice lately?" The young brunette whirled around and came face to face with Callie. She glanced down at her phone and then held it up with a half-smile on her face.

"Just texted her. She wants me to say hi to everyone for her." Lexie responded before slipping the device into her pocket.

"Has she heard the big news yet?" The younger of the two surgeons glanced down and sighed.

"No, not yet. I guess I'm just waiting for the right time to tell her." Callie frowned in confusion.

"Why wouldn't it be?"

"Because I want her to focus on herself right now! If she knows that Mark and I are expecting, she's going to be thinking about that and I don't want her to get worried that we're trying to replace her." Lexie snapped. The orthopedic surgeon in front of her arched an eyebrow and held her hands up.

"Okay, okay. Jeez, I didn't realize it was that big of a deal to tell her." Lexie looked up apologetically and shook her head.

"It shouldn't be, I'm sorry. I just want her to be in the best state of mind that she can-"

"Ready to go?" Both Callie and Lexie looked up to see Mark approaching, slinging his jacket on over his broad shoulders. His girlfriend grinned and nodded immediately.

"Yep. C'mon." Lexie said, grabbing her own jacket from the nursing desk in front of her and then looping her arm through Mark's. He nodded at Callie before heading out into the parking lot.

"Have we heard from our favorite drug abusing teenager yet?" Mark winced as he felt a small fist strike him in the side. "Kidding! You know I'm kidding!"

"I know you're kidding. And yes…she says hi." Lexie mumbled. She really wasn't in the mood to have the same conversation all over again.

"And does she know about the new little Sloan about to grace the world with his or her presence-"

"No. No she doesn't. And I'm not telling her yet because I want her to not have to worry about anything except herself." The brown haired woman explained irritably. Mark shot a glance at her as they approached his car.

"Damn Lexie, sorry for asking. Is she doing alright though?" Lexie sighed, realizing that she had snapped at someone again.

"Addison says that she's being a bit hostile, but we all kind of expected that. Hopefully she'll calm down soon enough."

"She kicked the addiction once, she can do it again. Alice is a tough kid. She's going to make a great aunt or cousin or whatever our baby wants to call her." Mark smiled, climbing into the driver's seat and starting the car. The corners of Lexie's mouth twitched upwards and she nodded.

"Yeah she will."

_**Reviews are very welcome! I'm willing to write whatever you'd like to see! **_


	4. Chapter 4

Alice rifled through her suitcase until she found her bikini. She yanked it out triumphantly and slipped it on. She wrapped a towel around herself, toga style, and headed down the stairs and out onto the beach. It was pretty much deserted, so she found the perfect spot and lay down on her towel. She put her iPod on and sighed. This was bliss. She didn't bother keeping track of time, but several songs later she heard voices approaching. Addison and Amelia were chatting away about something, but they both kind of cut off and stifled gasps as they saw the scars all over Alice's stomach and legs. Alice ignored them completely and put her earbuds back in.

"Stop staring." She flipped her sunglasses up on her head and shut her music off before sitting up.

"We're not." Addison said quickly.

"Oh, bullshit. You're running through a thousand possible explanations for this, but the only one that makes enough sense to you is that I cut. Did Lexie ever tell you how we met?" Amelia frowned.

"No, why?"

"Remember how there was the shooting at Seattle grace? I was that one patient that was shot. She saved me, and then I talked the shooter out of killing Lexie. So that's where this one is from." Alice pointed to the long scar along her side. "The rest- you don't get those stories yet. But it's not what you think it is so don't even think of judging me for it."

Alice grabbed her stuff and stood up, heading for the house. "Hey, where are you going?" Addison called after her.

"Inside. I'm not in the mood for socializing." She strode up the stairs and into the house. She wandered into the kitchen and started yanking open cupboards, looking for the liquor. She brushed back tears angrily, mystified as to why she was bothered so much by this tonight.

"Hidden." Amelia's sudden appearance startled her.

"Maybe I was looking for some cookies." She snapped. The neurosurgeon rolled her eyes.

"You hardly seem like the junk food type." Amelia gestured to the teens barely concealed ribs.

"Yeah well you don't look like the addict type, and I don't need yet another label so let's just say that neither of us should be jumping to conclusions." Addison walked in through the patio doors.

"Trust me, we were warned about your tendency to go looking for drinks. It's safe to say that you're not going to find anything here."

"Whatever." Alice mumbled as she walked over to the couch and sat down, crossing her legs under her. "Mind if I use the phone? I want to call Lex."

"Of course not." Addison grabbed it off of the charger beside the fridge and handed it to her.

"Thanks." Alice said quietly as she grabbed the phone. She stood, adjusting the sundress that she had thrown over her bikini, and wandered off into the office, shutting the door behind her.

Alice dialed Lexie's number and listened to it ring six times before it went to voicemail. She clicked the phone off without leaving a message and shoved the phone away. She knew Lexie was probably busy or with Mark, but she was still bummed out just the same. She sat in the office for nearly an hour, feeling miserable for herself before Amelia came knocking.

"Hey, everything alright?" She asked, stepping in. Alice shook her head. "When I got bad cravings, I shut myself in like you're doing. It doesn't help. Come on out into the kitchen and have some dinner. It'll distract you, I promise." Alice stared at her for a moment before standing up and following her out. She smiled briefly at Addison who handed her a plate. Alice set it down on the table and sat cross legged on the chair pushing the pasta around her plate with her fork. Just then Addison looked hopefully at her, trying to gauge her reaction to the pasta. Alice hastily took a bite and nodded at Addison.

"You don't eat a lot, do you?" The surgeon asked, watching as the teenager's fork continued to push food around. Alice looked up and shrugged.

"I guess not. Ever since…well, everything, I'm just not hungry anymore." She muttered, forcing another bite of pasta down. She had to admit, Addison's cooking was fantastic. But the pasta was heavy and she didn't know how much of it she could stomach. Every time she ate, she ended up thinking about the time Callie had made her eat, and how badly that had ended.

"Well if you keep that up, no one is going to be able to see you. You're thin Alice. A little too thin. I understand not being hungry, but you still had to fuel your body." Amelia reminded her. Alice glanced down at herself and for the first time in a while, actually looked at herself. They were right. Her arms looked like toothpicks, and the sundress she wore clung loosely to the rest of her frame.

"I know. I just never want anything. I'm either too tired to eat or I feel like I'm going to be sick."

"Well how about I take you shopping tomorrow, after your session? I can get you some protein bars and whatever else you pick out." Amelia offered, glancing at the teenager for approval. Alice looked up from her plate and bit her bottom lip before nodding.

"Yeah, um, sounds good. Thanks." She muttered before taking another bite of her food. In fact, the more she ate, the more she felt like she could eat. Maybe it would just take some time to get her appetite back on schedule.

* * *

"Is that your phone or mine?"

"Mine."

"Aren't you going to answer it?"

"Nope." Mark stared down at his girlfriend in surprise and glanced over towards her purse. The two of them had ordered take-out for the night, and now sat on the couch in his apartment, picking at sweet and sour chicken with their chopsticks. He was about to remind her that it could be Alice, but stopped just before he opened his mouth. Lexie deserved a night to just relax. And if a baby was on the way, then he planned on keeping her stress level to a minimum.

"Oooh, look at this one! I like this one. I like the dark wood." Lexie clicked on the picture of the baby crib and watched as it expanded. The two of them had been online baby shopping for the past hour and although Mark wasn't exactly thrilled, it was nice.

"That one will work. Do you want to order it?"

"No, no of course not. We haven't seen all of our options yet. Don't be rash." Lexie scoffed, pressing the back button and beginning to scroll through the crib section once again.

"We're not going to see all of our options Lex. There are thousands of them. How about we take a break from cribs for a while and talk about names?" Mark suggested, closing the laptop and setting it aside. Lexie nodded and the two of them leaned back together on the couch.

"Okay. For a boy I was thinking maybe…maybe George?" She suggested tentatively. Her brown eyes looked up to meet Mark's, obviously a bit anxious for his reaction.

"I like that. George. George Sloan. It's a strong name. And if we have a girl?" The older man asked.

"I like the name Arianna. But I'm sure by the time he or she gets here that I'll have a whole new set of favorites." Lexie chuckled, glancing down at her stomach. Her abdomen was still flat, and she put a hand on it. Mark stared down at the small gesture and smiled.

"I love you Lexie Grey."

**_suggestions are very welcome_**


	5. Chapter 5

Alice twisted her bracelet- a parting gift from the Seattle gang- nervously as she hovered in the hallway that led to Violet's office. She considered bolting, but there really wasn't anywhere to go. She made do with sitting a few feet from the door so that she was out of sight from the office, trying to talk herself into going in. Her failing self-motivation techniques were interrupted by Addison who came up behind her.

"Alice, it's going to be fine I promise. Violet is fantastic." Alice shook her head mutely. "One chance, that's all you need to give her. C'mon, get up." Alice stood reluctantly. "Oh- ask her about her scar." Addison said as she gently pushed Alice through the door and shut it.

Meanwhile, Violet was sitting on her chair thumbing through Alice's records. She winced as she read that Alice was an addict- relapsing once, ODing once. At age sixteen. She scanned the other pages; _anorexia, social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, depression, self-harmer, PTSD_. This poor girl had a laundry list of issues. She glanced up when Alice stumbled in, throwing an anxious look behind her to whoever just shut the door.

"Hey." Violet said, smiling at the teen as she shut her file. Alice gave her a wary smile before sitting down in one of the office's chairs.

"So, how do you like LA so far?" The older of the two asked, wanting to coax Alice into a conversation, instead of forcing it.

"It's alright. Nicer weather than Seattle. Plus things are a lot calmer around here." Alice replied, still not relaxing into the chair. She sat on its edge, leg bouncing up and down anxiously.

"So things were pretty crazy back in Seattle?"

"Yeah, I guess. Everyone worked such crazy shifts and with everything that happened-" Alice cut herself off after that sentence and averted her eyes to the floor.

"Look, I know these sort of things can be tough to talk about. But I'll tell you how I got my scar," Violet rolled up her shirt to expose a long scar that ran across her stomach, "if you tell me how you got yours. Deal?" Alice waited awhile before nodding.

"Alright then. I had a patient once who…believed that I was carrying the baby that she had lost inside of me. She had lost her own in a miscarriage and placed the blame on me. She wanted my baby, so she decided that she would cut it out. So this patient came to my home and drugged me…before using a textbook to perform a do-it-herself C-Section." Alice's face remained neutral as Violet finished her story.

"I win." Alice said quietly. Violet raised her eyebrows questioningly. "I was attacked by my parents twice. The first time was mostly my father, with a knife. The second time, my mother tricked me into thinking she had changed so I went with her to 'her apartment' where they beat me. Well, I think that's what they did. I was unconscious after my father knocked me out with a vase. But that's what seemed to add up when Arizona found me nearly dead on Lexie's porch the next morning after."

"Wow. You do win." Violet said. Alice smirked and nodded before looking up suddenly.

"But you can't tell Addison or Amelia. They don't know yet and I don't want them to. I'll tell them in time."

"Of course not. I wouldn't betray your trust like that." Violet assured her. Alice shrugged.

"Jessica did." She mumbled.

"Jessica is known by everyone in the psychology community. Some think she is brilliant, others not so much. She has very... unconventional methods. Regardless of those, it was wrong for her to tell Lexie like she did, even if she thought it was in your best interest. I'm sorry that you had such an unpleasant experience with her. I really hope that you will be able to give this a chance, because counselling should make you better, not worse. Will you give me the opportunity to prove that to you?" Alice nodded slowly. Violet smiled brightly.

"Excellent. Now, I'm curious. When were these attacks?"

"A while ago. 5 months maybe?" Violet's eyes widened in surprise.

"I wouldn't consider five months to be awhile- especially after something so traumatic." Alice shrugged noncommittally.

"Do you still have flashbacks? Nightmares?" Alice winced.

"Yeah. Often, actually."

"And triggers? Have you found any so far?"

"Knives. Anyone coming up behind me unexpectedly. Being... loomed over. Those are the worst."

Violet nodded in understanding. "It terrified me to be alone for a while after. I would look for excuses to stay at work so that I didn't have to be alone at home. I checked the locks on my doors multiple times when I got in and then once more just to be safe. I still don't open the door if I'm home alone. It's foolish of course, I'm a grown woman, a mother- and yet I still can't answer the door without fear."

"At least no one forced you into counseling." Alice sighed, leaning back in her chair.

"You were forced?" Violet asked, wanting Alice to elaborate more on her feelings towards therapy.

"Well, yeah. I mean, Lexie knew Jessica from college, so she made me go to her and since I lived with half the doctors in the hospital, it was a little hard to skip treatments." Alice explained. Violet nodded in understanding.

"I see. Tell me about your relationship with Lexie, if that's not prying too much." Violet asked, feeling a bit of triumph inside of herself as she made progress with the teen.

"Honestly, she will always be the best thing that ever happened to me. Nothing can ever change that. It.. it's just complicated. I think I overwhelm her sometimes. The whole mess with the parents, the drinking, the guys and then the girls, and the drugs. I don't think she knew what she was getting herself into when she became my guardian." Alice paused for a moment. "I... I don't even think I knew what I was getting into with the trouble I was causing, and by the time I realized it I was in way too deep."

Violet nodded. "Some of that may be true- but I truly think you are too hard on yourself. You're overcoming an addiction for the second time, while fighting the aftermath of these awful events that you have been out through. I'm willing to bet that Lexie is damn proud of what you've been able to overcome." Alice blushed and looked away, not quite sure how to take the compliment.

"You don't have to suck up to me just because you knew I'm being forced into these sessions. It won't determine what I choose to say and what I choose not to." Alice said, still attempting to not appear like an open book.

"I'm not sucking up, I'm just saying, you've been through a lot." Violet replied. Alice shrugged and then fell silent. "Why are you so resistant to help, Alice?"

"I'm not resistant to help. I tried it. I tried it a few times. And for a while, I was fine, but I relapsed. And if that's what the rest of my life is going to be like, then I don't want to waste my time and everyone else's." She answered irritably. Violet nodded in understanding and glanced down at her file again.

"But what if you don't relapse some day? What if you get better, and you stay better? Wouldn't it be worth it then?" Alice stared at the therapist blankly for a few seconds before sighing.

"Can we be done for today?" Violet glanced at the clock on the wall and then nodded. She put her newest patient's file away and then gestured towards the door. Alice stood up, a bit surprised at how easily the session had ended, and walked out.

_**Sorry for the wait, I've had a busy week. Lemme know what you'd like to see next.**_


	6. Chapter 6

Alice crept tentatively down the hallway of practice, unsure of what to do with herself. Her session still had another 20 minutes before she was supposed to get out, and she was sure that if Addison or Amelia saw her, they'd assume she had stormed out. Alice knew Amelia was booked for her remaining time but she had no idea what Addison would be doing.

Of course, as soon as Alice made her way into the kitchen, she came face to face with the doctor herself. The redhead shot her a suspicious look and Alice shook her head immediately.

"I didn't bail, I promise. We talked and I got stressed out and she said we could be done." The teenager said quickly. Addison hesitated for a few seconds before shrugging and sitting down at the island. Alice breathed a sigh of relief before grabbing a mug off coffee and sitting down across from her.

"So how do you like it here so far?" The neonatal surgeon asked, sliding the powdered cream down to her newest house guest. Alice nodded her thanks at the older woman and shrugged.

"It's nice. The weather's better than Seattle. I miss…I miss Lexie. And everyone. Except Jessica." The 16 year old replied, sipping at her coffee. Addison frowned a bit in confusion.

"Who's Jessica?" Alice looked up at the question and sighed.

"She was my old psychiatrist back in LA. She wasn't a bad person she was just too…forceful. She made me remember things that I wasn't ready to remember and everyone just kept making me go back to her. She and Lexie were roommates in college and I think that had something to do with it but the fact was…she didn't work for me. I think she made things worse." Alice ranted. She finally came to a stop and took a deep breath before closing her eyes, "Sorry, I didn't mean to unload on you like that."

"No, no it's okay. You probably couldn't say that back in Seattle because everyone was her friend, right? These are the kind of things you're here to deal with. None of us are biased against you or anyone else there." Addison assured the younger girl.

"Lexie didn't answer when I called last night. And she still hasn't called back." Alice stated quietly. Her eyes studied the mug in her hands and she spun it around anxiously.

"I'm sure she's just busy or something. You know how they all can be." Addison replied simply. Alice didn't look so sure.

"Is it okay if I call Callie? I just…I want to know that Lexie's okay. She's had her share of breakdowns before too. She analyzes and memorizes everything and sometimes she just freaks out." Alice explained worriedly. Addison nodded in understanding and recalled the night Mark had called her after he admitted Lexie to the psychiatric ward. She nodded towards the phone on the wall and got up to give the teenager her privacy. As soon as she was gone Alice leapt up and dialed the orthopedic surgeon's number. She breathed a sigh of relief when she answered on the second ring.

"_Hello?_"

"Callie, it's me."

"_Alice…hi! Are you alright?"_

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just, um, I wanted to call."

"_Oh, okay. How have things been over there?"_

"Fine. Everything's fine. Everyone here is really nice and Amelia's taking me shopping later for food because she wants me to put on weight so I can't really talk long.

"_As long as she does it better than I did, that sounds like a good plan." _Alice couldn't help but smirk a bit at the memory.

"Yeah. Addison is amazing at cooking. But anyways, how's Lexie?"

"_Lexie, she seems great. Haven't you talked to her?"_

"I tried calling her, but she didn't pick up and she hasn't called me back. I just wanted to make sure nothing happened."

"_Well you know Lexie. She's in the OR every chance she gets. But you know she's thinking of you. We all are." _

"Well…thanks. Tell Arizona I say hi."

"_Do you want to talk to her? She's right next to me, I'm sure she'd love to." _Alice hesitated for a few seconds before answering.

"Uh, yeah. Go ahead and put her on."

"_Alright, here she is…." _Alice listened as there was a bit of rustling before an energetic voice came through the phone's speaker.

"_Hi Alice! How's sunny LA?"_

"It's…hot. It doesn't rain as much."

"_Are you getting along with everyone?"_

"Believe it or not, I don't despise all psychiatrists. Just Jessica. But yes, everyone here is really, really nice. Even my psychiatrist."

"_That's so great to hear. Everything going okay with your, you know, issues?" _Alice glanced behind her, finding that the kitchen was still empty. She took a deep breath before answering.

"If you're asking if I've cut since I got here, the answer is no. And obviously I'm not on drugs again."

"_Wow, it's so good to hear that you haven't lost your sarcasm. Take it easy on them over there kiddo."_

"I am. Amelia should be ready to leave any minute, so I've got to go. I'll talk to you guys again soon."

"_Alright. Have fun over there. Get a tan. We all miss you."_

"I miss you guys too. Bye."

"_Bye."_

Alice hung up the phone and sighed. If anything, the phone call had made her more homesick, and she somehow missed Lexie even more. The 16 year old walked back over to the island and finished her mug of coffee. She was debating whether or not to refill her mug when Amelia walked in.

"Ready to go?" The neurosurgeon asked, opening the fridge and grabbing an apple. She tossed it at Alice and got them both a bottle of water before shutting it. Alice barely managed to snag the fruit out of the air and she stood up. The two brunettes walked out of the practice together and Alice squinted against the harsh sunlight.

"So when I got clean, after the withdrawal and everything, Addison took me out to do this. It helped me focus on doing something good for my body for once." Amelia said as she and Alice climbed into her car. Alice nodded, still not quite comfortable around the newer personality, and glanced out the window as they drove through the relatively empty streets. Before she knew it, they were parked outside of a grocery store.

"Wow." Alice mumbled, watching as a man with dreadlocks down to his lower back walked through the automatic doors. She and Amelia got out of the car and the surgeon chuckled.

"Some of the people who shop here are…eccentric tree huggers to put it simply. Come on, let's go into the blissful air conditioning." Alice nodded and followed Amelia into the store. She honestly couldn't remember the last time she had been grocery shopping.

"So what do you want?" Amelia asked, grabbing a cart and then staring at her younger companion. Alice shrugged and glanced around the store, a bit overwhelmed. Finally, she and Amelia started towards the produce section.

"I see you like your greens." The surgeon noted and Alice tossed a package of kale into the cart. Alice smirked as her eyes scanned the fruits and vegetables in front of her.

"Lexie used to make this kale and shrimp salad back in Seattle. It was one of the only dinners I'd ever actually want to eat." She admitted. Amelia nodded in understanding and grabbed a few bell peppers.

"Well, you and I are both lucky we live with Addison. That woman is a culinary goddess." Alice nodded in agreement. She and Amelia made their way through the rest of the store, talking somewhat idly for the rest of their shopping trip. By the time they got back to Amelia's car, they had a full cart and Alice was feeling somewhat better about her day.

_**Sorry for the long update wait! I've been trying to balance school and work lately and it's just crazy! Reviews and input are welcome!**_


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